


Better Half

by dreamyeon



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Fluff, Friendship/Love, M/M, Strangers to Lovers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-24
Updated: 2019-04-18
Packaged: 2019-12-07 04:57:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 14,400
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18230225
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dreamyeon/pseuds/dreamyeon
Summary: According to Kyungsoo's observations, Baekhyun was the worst soulmate in the world.





	1. Beautiful nightmare

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, guys...  
> I just decided to post this today because I didn't have anything better to do and it is a translation of my own work, so... I hope it's at least readable.  
> Enjoy(?)

 

 

_120193060592._

A single sequence of numbers that had been on Kyungsoo’s arm since he was a baby, even before he had learned to speak. What was it for? To find his soulmate — _if it ever existed._ Everyone had a sequence of numbers on their arm and obviously Kyungsoo wouldn’t be an exception to the traditional and rigid rule, also displaying 12 digits for everyone to see.

At twenty-four years of age, Do Kyungsoo still hadn’t found his soulmate, which made him question his whole existence and the reasons of being alone, when even Park Chanyeol — the dumbest guy in the world — found his, a handsome boy better known as Oh Sehun.

Life was very cruel and made him suffer waiting for his prince — or princess, who knows — who would certainly love him and take care of him until they were old, although he said that he was not anxious to meet him because _it would be horrible to be stuck with someone forever, right?_

But Kyungsoo didn’t fool anyone with those ironic answers, because everyone noticed the way he looked hopefully at the door every time a customer came to the restaurant where he worked and ended up being disappointed to realize that he hadn’t been lucky enough to finally find _him._

The only thing that comforted and ensured him that his soulmate was still around was the fact that his mark was still visible and prominent as it had always been. Kyungsoo remembered when Yifan's mark gradually faded after a few days and it was told that his soulmate had died; his friend's pain lasted for so long that Kyungsoo wished never to go through this.

Luckily, his soulmate was still alive and all he had to do was find him.

For these reasons, when the restaurant door was opened for the fifth time that afternoon — as he had checked — he stirred behind the counter and his big, expressive eyes locked on the customer, looking for some sign that it might be him.

The guy, probably in his thirties, only frowned and smiled confused. He sat at the table by the window and began to tinker his cellphone, trying to ignore Kyungsoo's eager gaze on him.

“You’re doing it again, you know?” Yixing appeared behind Kyungsoo, looking at him with a beautiful smile. "You're going to scare another customer if you continue with _this.”_

“This what?” Kyungsoo asked, not looking away from the guy.

“Eating with your eyes… it's scary, and not even your soulmate will want you if you stare at him like you _literally_ want to eat him _.”_ Yixing frowned.

Kyungsoo snorted.

“Leave me alone, Yixing, I just want to make sure it's not-”

 _“Him? You_  may believe it is not.” Yixing whispered. “He’s married, you can see the gold ring ten miles away.”

Kyungsoo soon turned his gaze to the man’s hand and actually had a ring there — one that would cost a kidney of his —, instantly discouraging him.

“You and your big mouth,” he grunted.

“He’s not even your type,” Yixing replied with a chuckle. "Did you see that expensive suit? And that ring of pure gold? And that smartphone?! He sure is not your type.”

 _“_ What do you mean by that?” He frowned.

“Nothing.” Yixing shrugged.

“You’re an idiot.” Kyungsoo sighed tiredly and leaned his face in his hand, chuckling softly as he saw a woman walk through the door and sit down at the table where the rich man had sat, also wearing a very expensive ring.

_How wonderful._

“You will find your soulmate, Kyungsoo…” Yixing patted him on the shoulder. “You just need-”

“Patience, I know,” he said exhausted.

_How long would he have to wait?_

  
  


X

 

 

It had been a while since it had opened a video store on the corner of Kyungsoo's house; the place was well lit, had several movie posters and a well-groomed appearance.

However, Kyungsoo never went there. He was so paranoid with the idea of finding his soulmate that he barely left his house, fantasizing about falling in love with someone.

But after many disappointments, Kyungsoo decided to make an effort to leave his house, rent some movies and consequently know his neighbor of property, since his small restaurant wasn't too far away.

The truth is that Kyungsoo had nothing better to do on that friday, after he refused Yixing’s invitation to drink and dismissed Chanyeol and Sehun at the moment they knocked on his door wanting to drag him to another anime event that he sincerely didn’t give a shit.

There weren’t many choices left for him besides staying at home with his grandmother's television — which didn’t work Netflix — and his buttery popcorn, which he would only eat if he found a good movie to watch. After spending long minutes trying to make the TV antenna work, he gave up and decided to go rent some movies to watch on the dvd.

That was the way he was now: wearing a worn-out jeans and a long-sleeved band shirt that he had since high school, fortunately the most comfortable in the closet, walking toward the store.

As soon as he arrived, he opened the glass door and looked around, his big eyes focused on each movement. The little bell made a noise as he stepped inside and caught the attention of the clerk, who was arranging some movies in the bluray section.

The guy turned in his direction and smiled warmly.

“Welcome!”

Kyungsoo looked at his feet, a little embarrassed.

“Good evening,” he said softly.

The man laughed, amused at something that Kyungsoo couldn’t identify.

“Good evening, how can I help you?”

“I came, uh… to rent some movies...?” He said rather lost.

“That’s kind of obvious,” he replied with a smile.

“Yeah, right…” Kyungsoo scratched the back of his neck in embarrassment.

The other seemed to notice his embarrassment, because soon he was pointing to the counter and saying, “I’ll let you choose, if you need me, I’ll be there.”

“Ok.”

Kyungsoo agreed and started looking for some movies in the action and thriller section.

The guy stared at him from a distance, watching him all the time with a smile, in a way that made Kyungsoo more embarrassed than he already was. After choosing, he finally went to the cashier and had to face the guy.

“I’ve never seen you here,” he said suddenly.

Kyungsoo chuckled.

“Is this from the series _do you always come here?”_

“Perhaps…?” He teased. "You're handsome, so it wouldn’t be bad if it worked."

Kyungsoo snorted.

“You don’t even know me.”

“I said you're handsome, not that I'm in love," he replied, checking the DVDs. "By the way, I'm Baekhyun. Byun Baekhyun.”

“Do Kyungsoo,” Kyungsoo said before even realizing.

“The owner of the restaurant Sabor a D.O?”

Kyungsoo smiled proudly.

“Yeah, it’s me.”

“My friend Jongin loves you, just talks about you everytime he comes back and regrets that you aren't his soulmate.”

“Jongin?” He frowned.

“A tall, handsome brunette, with lips that would make Angelina Jolie jealous,” Baekhyun replied with a proud expression. “Very handsome, if I were you, I would have fun with him a little bit.”

“No, thanks.” Kyungsoo rolled his eyes. “It doesn’t work that way for me.”

“Are you one of those waiting for that soulmate bullshit?”  Baekhyun raised an eyebrow, taking some bags under the counter. “If I were so, I would die a virgin.”

Kyungsoo coughed, embarrassment taking over his face as he blushed.

“I…”

“No need to answer.” Baekhyun smiled, putting the films inside the bag and handing it to Kyungsoo. “Everyone has a way of dealing with it.”

“Yeah.” Kyungsoo took the money from his wallet and passed it to Baekhyun, who in turn, took it with his right hand, where the numbers were prominent and visible.

_060592120193._

Kyungsoo glanced quickly and almost frozen in the place when he taped the number on his head, the one he had searched for so long and belonged to a guy who had just said that soulmate thing was bullshit.

“Kyungsoo? Your change, it's here.” Baekhyun handed the money in his hand as he looked at him with a slightly concerned expression. “Everything’s okay?”

It was a pity that fate was so cruel to him. Byun Baekhyun was his soulmate.

  
  


X

  


_“Don’t you think you're being a little dramatic? You waited for it all your life, you want to run away now that you've met your soulmate just because he's an idiot?"_ Yixing asked to Kyungsoo as soon as he finished telling his incredible story that ended tragically on the phone, almost three in the morning.

Lucky for him that Yixing was always available.

“Just because he’s an idiot?” Kyungsoo laughed, almost crying. It wasn’t what he was expecting when he dreamed about his soulmate. "I don’t know... he practically mocked me when he figured out that I decided to wait for my soulmate, I don’t know if he believes that.”

_“You won’t know if you don’t ask.”_

“Oh no…”

_"Anyway, you're going to see him again when you return the movies you rented, so you can ask him if he doesn’t want anything serious and if he says no, just let it go.”_

“It’s not that simple.”

Yixing sighed.

_“Kyungsoo, you’ve waited for this for so long, it isn’t fair to let your chance slip away just because you’re afraid. If he’s not the right guy for you, I’m sure you’ll find-”_

“You know it doesn’t work that way.”

Yixing became quiet.

_“Everything will be alright, if it doesn’t... I can hire a hitman for him and…”_

Kyungsoo laughed.

“Shut up.”

_“The first step is to tell him. Even if he's an idiot, he must know. Luck you were wearing that horrible Guns n Roses' shirt that covered your mark.”_

"Okay, okay," he said tiredly. “I'll tell, I promise.”

_“Okay then. By the way, Jongdae wants to talk to you about-”_

“I'm going to hang up, good night," Kyungsoo interrupted his friend.

 _"Kyungsoo! Don’t hang up the phone, Jongdae wants to talk to you,"_ he muttered. _"He doesn’t want to talk to you, honey."_ Kyungsoo heard Yixing say to Jongdae.

Kyungsoo laughed before hanging up, he needed to sleep after spending the night awake thinking about what to do about Baekhyun.

He just knew he was going to have a headache.

 

X

 

Then the days went by and Kyungsoo finally resolved to face the reality that Baekhyun — an idiot according to his observations — was his soulmate, deciding to tell him everything.

They barely knew each other, had seen each other once in their life, and apparently, through Kyungsoo's investigations, had absolutely nothing to do with each other.

Baekhyun owned a video store and finished plastic arts college, he was 25 years old and had an old but well cared car, which he nicknamed affectionately _junk_ ; he had a very large circle of friends and a loving family.

Kyungsoo got this data from Jongin when he offered fried chicken in exchange for information and complete silence on the illegal activity he was doing called bribe. Jongin still won a delicious chocolate dessert by saying wisely: _"Baekhyun-hyung is an idiot, but he has a good heart, if you want to get close to him, you must have attitude.”_ Wise words deserved great rewards and Jongin was so happy for the free food that he offered to give information every time Kyungsoo needed — _and other things too,_ if you know what he means.

However, Kyungsoo decided to complete his task with the dignity of a man in his twenties and face Baekhyun without any excuses or half truths, he would speak everything he had to speak and wouldn't leave that establishment until Baekhyun say exactly what he wanted to hear or at least an apology for the rudeness of mocking his choices of remaining untouchable.

But as soon as he'd set foot in front of that store, he'd stalled. Through the glass door, he could see Baekhyun smiling and flirting with a client, who curled her hair in her fingers and smiled interested.

Kyungsoo felt his eyes burn with anger, discontent, sadness perhaps, for being entwined in someone who didn’t give a shit about that soulmate bullshit when he could be committed to a person who really had the same interests as him.

He took a deep breath and swallowed hard, entering the movie store and interrupting Baekhyun's flirtation, who grinned even more when he saw him.

“Kyungsoo! You here again.”

Kyungsoo snorted.

“I came to return the movies I rented.”

“Oh right… wait a sec.” Baekhyun turned his attention to the woman, who let her smile disappear from seeing Kyungsoo there, disturbing the moment.

When the woman left, Kyungsoo approached the counter and stood facing Baekhyun, pushing the bag and leaving his arm exposed.

“Are you seeing anything different here?” He asked casually.

Baekhyun frowned, still looking at his face.

“No, you look more handsome…?” he asked confused.

Kyungsoo rolled his eyes.

“Look at my arm.”

“What's in it?” Baekhyun looked even more confused.

“Look,” Kyungsoo said in a firm voice.

And Baekhyun looked, glancing Kyungsoo's body without any shame before turning his gaze to the arm extended over the counter. The numbers seemed more prominent than ever and even if Baekhyun wanted to ignore, he would recognize that sequence even with his eyes closed, after all...

“You are…” he interrupted himself.

“Yes, I’m your soulmate.”

Baekhyun's eyes widened and he looked genuinely surprised.

“How…?”

“You know how it works, my date of birth and yours, vice versa.”

Baekhyun was paralysed for a few seconds before laughing.

"Is that why you came here last week?" He asked incredulously.

“Of course not, i didn’t even know it,” he replied as if it were obvious. “I’ve been looking for my soulmate all my life, I've been looking for..”

“Me,” Baekhyun added.

“Yes, but that wasn’t exactly what I expected to find," Kyungsoo hummed sadly. “I realized that you don’t like this idea very much and I'm not here to force you to stay with me or even talk to me, I just wanted you to know.”

Baekhyun was quiet for a moment.

“I don’t know what to say.”

Kyungsoo smiled tiredly at Baekhyun, who unfortunately was nothing that he expected.

“You don’t have to say anything," he snapped, extremely exhausted. “If the two don't want, it doesn’t work and I already said that I didn’t come here to force you to anything, I just wanted…”

“Got it.” Baekhyun bowed his head and checked the movies Kyungsoo had given.

Neither of them said anything else.

  


X

 

 

“What a son of a bitch.”

“We didn’t have anything,” Kyungsoo said for the thousandth time, annoyed.

After he left the store, he didn’t talk to Baekhyun anymore and that was exactly a week ago. It's not as if they were close in anyway, but Kyungsoo felt that he had missed the chance to finally experience that feeling that everyone claimed was the best in the world, had missed the chance to fall in love and have his Happily Ever After that only existed in Disney movies; Baekhyun had taken that from him by rejecting him.

If Baekhyun called him or said he was sorry, Kyungsoo might feel less worse than he was feeling inside; perhaps softened the feeling of having something big taken away from him.

Maybe he was being dramatic, but, _fuck,_  he had the right to be dramatic after spending his whole life looking for something that was not even worth it.

"I have to agree with Yixing hyung. Even I, who am an idiot myself, think he acted like a dick,” Chanyeol got into the conversation, Sehun nodding silently.

“It’s not like I’m pregnant and he’s running away from the responsibility.” Kyungsoo chuckled without humor, his nose full of wheat as he waited for the cake bake.

“It's not about this.” Yixing frowned at him with crossed arms. "It's about him not even trying, you know what soulmates are? Souls intertwined, it's for life, it's not a fuck that you dismiss after it gets boring.”

“Besides, hyung, one way or another he would fall in love with you and you would for him because that's fate, right? You can't ignore it,” Sehun muttered.

“He rejected me, obviously it can be ignored," Kyungsoo replied without any patience, rummaging through the chocolate pot. "He's not even all _that,_ I've imagined so many things, I've dreamed about it so much, I…”

“We know, Soo, that’s why I’m saying… it doesn't worth your time,” Yixing said, pitying his friend. “That’s just a detail.”

They both knew he was lying and everyone stay quiet, at least until Kyungsoo's cell phone rang with an unknown number.

Kyungsoo wiped his hands on his apron before answering and leaned his cell phone between his neck and shoulder, decorating a cupcake.

“Hello?”

_“Hi…”_

“Who is it?” Kyungsoo frowned.

_“It’s me, Baekhyun.”_

Kyungsoo was quiet, thinking of what to say.

“What do you want, Baekhyun?”

His friends screamed in the background, mortified.

_“I… I wanted apologize for being a jerk and ignoring the fact that you searched for me your whole life and… I don’t know, man, I’m sorry.”_

Kyungsoo laughed wryly.

“I didn't search for _you_ , exactly. If I'd known it would be like this, I would rather remain ignorant,” he was honest. "No need to feel guilty for not wanting to be with me, we are nothing to each other.”

Baekhyun huffed.

_"I wouldn't go that far, you think soulmates are nothing?"_

“You don’t even believe it.”

_“Who said no? I believe, I just didn’t think I would find mine.”_

Kyungsoo was silent.

 _“There are people who never find theirs, Kyungsoo, who would guarantee that I wouldn’t be one of them?_ ” He asked with a laugh. _“I’m 25 years old and I'm not getting younger, I just gave up waiting... at least until you tell me that you are mine.”_

“That doesn’t change the fact that you think it’s bullshit.”

 _"Maybe it’s not, I’ll never know if I don’t try,"_ he said uncertainty, _"only if you want too..."_

“Kyungsoo! The cake is burning,” Yixing interrupted the conversation, pushing Kyungsoo away from the stove and opening the oven. “What a mess, in the four years I've been working with you, you've never let any cake burn.”

Kyungsoo blushed, chuckling and pulling away the cell phone on which Baekhyun expected an answer. He waited for Yixing to move away to get the cell phone again and call Baekhyun, who was still there.

“I want to.” Kyungsoo could hear Baekhyun giggling and smiled a little. “But it's going to be my way.”

Baekhyun thought for a moment, making Kyungsoo anxious.

_“Okay.”_

  
  
  
  
  



	2. Sweet dream

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey...  
> First of all, I want to say I'm sorry for not updating, I had a very busy week :(  
> And I also want to thank everyone who commented and gave kudos, it meant a lot to me  
> I just hope yall enjoy(?), It's a very simple story, but it's very special to me 💞

Since childhood, Kyungsoo's dream had always been to find his soulmate, and that wasn’t a secret to anyone. Everyone who knew Kyungsoo knew that he lived in the fantasy world, always stuck in his imaginations about his future mate.

In his dream, Kyungsoo would find his soulmate and he would be a prince, of course, the man he asked to the skies in his lonely nights; the two would fall madly in love and live happily ever after.

The reality, however, was so hard that sometimes it even hurts when the dream ends and you realize that it was just a thing in your head. It's like waking up early with a bucket of cold water in your face — extremely unpleasant.

Baekhyun was like a bucket of cold water in Kyungsoo’s life.

Unfortunately, the God above him, whoever he may be, ignored Kyungsoo's prayers when he intertwined his fate, his soul to an asshole full of sexual jokes at the tip of his tongue that did everything to test Kyungsoo's patience.

But Kyungsoo didn’t intend to give up the dream of his life, even though Baekhyun did little to help him finally achieve his goal — when he should be the one to fulfill Kyungsoo's dreams.

For this reason – and because Baekhyun asked for a chance to redeem himself – the two were trying to make it work, under the conditions that everything would be in Kyungsoo's way, although the odds of making it work were equivalent to 0.001% when all that Kyungsoo wanted was to cross that table and strangle Baekhyun, after spending long minutes listening to him talk uselessly and make stupid jokes.

They were in a cafeteria near Kyungsoo’s restaurant – even though Baekhyun hated these places –, while Baekhyun was talking bullshit and Kyungsoo was no longer listening.

“...are you listening to what I’m saying, Kyungsoo? It was a porn of men dressed as dinosaurs,” Baekhyun said with an obnoxious laugh.

A long sigh.

“No,” Kyungsoo said honestly.

Baekhyun pretended to be offended, but the smile on his face betrayed his play.

“Always so sweet, Soo.”

_Soo._

Kyungsoo made a cute pout and took a sip of the already cold tea.

_What was he doing right there?_

_Oh yeah, he was trying — not_ _to kill —_ _to know his soulmate better._

"Did you know you look cute when you do this little pouting? Your lips are very rosy and soft-”

“Baekhyun…” Kyungsoo interrupted him.

Baekhyun stopped smiling at the moment, like a puppy that had been scolded. After a week of failed encounters, he could already tell when Kyungsoo was getting upset. Apparently it was one of those moments.

"What did I do this time?" Baekhyun asked with a sigh.

_It was easier for him to ask what he didn’t do._

Kyungsoo looked at Baekhyun from across the table, he looked so lost that even softened the hardness in his expression a bit.

“Nothing,” he murmured softly. “I just think it’s better to go home."

Baekhyun was quiet.

“I had many things to do and I’m tired, I…”

“It’s ok,” Baekhyun cut him off before he finished, he had already understood.

Kyungsoo smiled softly, taking money from his wallet and offering to pay for the two and being denied by Baekhyun, with a slightly discouraged smile and a "don’t worry about it."

Kyungsoo got up from his chair and looked one last time at Baekhyun. He shook his head and left before he felt guilty.

He wasn’t guilty.

What guilt he had for Baekhyun being so... Baekhyun?

 

  
  
  
  


X

  
  
  
  
  


"In my humble opinion, you're guilty, too.”

Kyungsoo was lying on the sofa at home, hours after the unsuccessful 8th date with Baekhyun, listening to Yixing (and Jongdae, who got in the middle of the conversation uninvited) express his opinion of how things were going wrong because of him too.

“I didn’t do anything,” he muttered in response.

“Exactly! You didn’t do _anything,”_ Jongdae replied before Yixing, chuckling at Kyungsoo's grimace.

"You didn’t do _anything,_ Kyungsoo," Yixing agreed, "you just complained about how Baekhyun is everything you didn’t ask for.”

“And am I lying?” Kyungsoo asked with an arched eyebrow.

“No, but you also don’t accept that Baekhyun is your soulmate and he will ever be,” Yixing said mercilessly. "He may be an asshole, but you said he's trying."

“He’s trying,” Kyungsoo confirmed, “we just don’t match with each other.”

“Something has to match.” Jongdae laughed. “Xing and I didn’t match either, but look at us now.”

Yixing smiled nostalgic.

“True, Jongdae was a geek wanting to be popular, I was the star of every party.”

“Hey!”

"He wore yellow underwears, who wears yellow underwear? I changed his life,” Yixing said with conviction.

“Shut up!” Jongdae grumbled, tossing a cushion toward Yixing, who managed to deflect it.

Kyungsoo chuckled.

“There's more! He had a horrible collection of checkered pants,” Yixing kept teasing.

“I remember that,” Kyungsoo joked.

“I’ll expose that video of you two drunk on Chanyeol’s birthday,” Jongdae warned them with a venomous grin, worthy of a snake.

They both shut up immediately.

“Okay, but what does your beautiful love story have to do with me?” Kyungsoo asked after hearing a few jokes and drinking some pure vodka, that would certainly give him a headache.

Yixing and Jongdae, who were sitting on either side of Kyungsoo, looked at each other and smiled.

“Well, Baekhyun is your soulmate, and you are his… So, soon you're gonna get along, date and, maybe, get married,” Yixing said.

“And have beautiful children,” Jongdae completed.

Kyungsoo snorted.

He and Baekhyun getting along, dating, marrying and having children...?

“It will never happen.”

  
  
  
  


X

  
  
  


It turned out that, despite his dubious words and unsatisfied grunts, two weeks later, Kyungsoo was still there, now facing Baekhyun, listening to him tell a very interesting story – he wasn’t being ironic this time – about how Jongin had found his soulmate through the internet on a dating site.

Baekhyun looked quite happy for the tall, handsome brunette with lips that would make Angelina Jolie jealous as he spoke. The name of Jongin's soulmate was Junhee, she was older, pretty and, according to Baekhyun's shameless observations, _hot as fuck._

However, taking out the part that Baekhyun drooled over Jongin's girlfriend, Kyungsoo was also very happy to hear the story, because Jongin was a good boy – he would always remember the good times when he accepted chicken as a bribe – and deserved to be happy.

“So yeah, he was saying they're going meet just on a couple of months because of Junhee's job, but it's gonna work out. Jonginie deserves to be happy,” Baekhyun finished the story with a handsome smile.

Kyungsoo felt his heart throb, just a little. Baekhyun was cute sometimes, okay?

“Hm… and she's gonna spend some days here?”

“Yes,” Baekhyun replied happily. “And we talked about you on skype, she said that she wants to meet you.”

“Me?” Kyungsoo laughed nervously. _So Baekhyun talked about him?_

“You,” Baekhyun confirmed. “I said that you’re a great cook and Jongin completed saying that you could make the best fried chicken in town.” He chuckled.

Kyungsoo blushed.

“That's an overstatement,” he replied with embarrassment and changed the focus of the conversation. “Does she love chicken too?”

“Not as much as Jongin,” Baekhyun said, without stopping smiling.

“No one loves chicken as much as Jongin,” Kyungsoo answered.

“That's true.”

They were silent for a few seconds until Baekhyun interrupted.

“So, what you been doing?”

Kyungsoo was surprised by the question.

“What I've been doing?” he repeated.

“Yes,” Baekhyun replied, swallowing a chocolate chip without a blink and speaking with his mouth full. “I always talk about myself, your turn now.”

Kyungsoo scratched the back of his neck.

“I’ve been doing the usual…? Cooking, you know.”

“Uhmm, what else?” Baekhyun asked interested.

“I bought a cactus this week, it's beautiful," he said with a little smile as he remembered Minseok. Yes, he named the blessed cactus.

“Yes, he must be... full of thorns and such,” Baekhyun teased.

“I'm thinking of buying a television of this century, too.”

“Are you still using that one with antennas?” Baekhyun laughed, remembering Kyungsoo's television.

“It helped a lot, okay?” he said defensively.

“It helped until it broke,” Baekhyun mocked.

Kyungsoo rolled his eyes and tried to contain the smile on his face.

“Okay, but what else you been doing? You have a very busy life, apparently...” Baekhyun insisted.

“I'm doing some classes,” he said, not wanting to talk about _what._

“Of what?”

“Pilates,” he murmured between a bite of his cupcake, unwilling.

Baekhyun's smile suddenly became malicious.

“Pilates, huh? You must be very flexib-”

“Shut up,” Kyungsoo cut off before he completed the sentence, frowning and clenching fists under the table, ready to hit him right in the mouth if he dared to say anything.

Baekhyun raised his arms, as if surrendering.

“I won't say anything else,” he assured.

Kyungsoo chuckled softly.

“Thank you.”

Baekhyun shook his head and changed the subject.

Maybe not everything was lost, after all.

  
  
  
  
  


X

  
  
  


Not everything was lost, really, but then… why Kyungsoo felt he had missed something?

Seriously, he could only have lost his mind to agree with Baekhyun's idiotic idea to get out of that comfort zone of meetings in the cafeteria-restaurant-video store and cafeteria-restaurant-video store again and again, and now they are in bowling. Was he softening?

Please, Kyungsoo couldn't even play bowling. His skills were all about cooking, taking care of cacti, pilates and threatening friends with a glance, not bowling with Byun Baekhyun, who blatantly flirted with one of the employees there.

It seemed like Baekhyun forgot that they were soulmates, not even the mark on his arm could remind him.

Kyungsoo was sitting on the bench while watching Baekhyun set things right so they could play, taking advantage of the chance to hit the cute guy who seemed very willing to kiss him – at least on Kyungsoo's bionic vision. Was there a human being in the world that Baekhyun didn't feel sexually attracted to?

Difficult questions deserved elaborate answers.

When he was already sick of that freak show, better known as his soulmate flirting with the cute guy whose name he didn’t even know, Baekhyun finally seemed to remember that he was accompanied and turned towards him with a smile so big it seemed to hurt his face.

It had been only a month since they started hanging out, but it seemed like a lifetime because Kyungsoo simply knew that Baekhyun's smile couldn’t mean a good thing. Baekhyun practically ran close to him and threw himself on the bench beside him, all smiling and excited.

“Soo…”

“What did you do this time?” Kyungsoo asked immediately.

“Nothing…?” Baekhyun frowned.

“You... too smiley… it's never a good thing.”

Baekhyun snorted.

“You have so little faith in me," he replied. “I got a lane just for the two of us.”

Kyungsoo tilted his head to the side, confused.

“And…?”

“Have you seen how many people are here? We would have to share it with someone.”

Kyungsoo rolled his eyes, he was so ignorant about it that it was annoying.

“Okay, whatever.”

Baekhyun clapped his hands happily and was pulling Kyungsoo to the farthest lane, all excited and speaking in Greek to Kyungsoo who was totally lost. He should have told Baekhyun that he didn't know shit before he was ashamed.

“So you've been here before?” Baekhyun interrupted his thoughts, letting go of his arm and stopping by the huge, colorful bowling balls.

“No,” he answered clumsy. “I don't know how to play bowling.”

Baekhyun turned and smiled.

“No problem, it's easy, I guarantee you'll like it.”

Kyungsoo had his doubts. Baekhyun didn't waste time to pull him close and start talking non-stop.

“First, you have to pick a ball,” he said, picking up a light orange ball. “It can be light or heavy, small or large, of whatever color you want, but I advise you to take the heavier ones, they hardly go to the corner.”

Kyungsoo agreed, paying attention.

“It's just you and me… then we can play as many matches as we want, usually there are two chances at a time, if you don’t hit all the pins the first time, you can try another," he continued. “Whoever hits the highest number of pins wins.”

Kyungsoo nodded, his attention easily captured by the explanation of the game.

“So if you want to start, you can go.” Baekhyun dropped the orange ball and took a heavier one, offering to Kyungsoo with a smile. "If you want me to teach you how to play…”

Kyungsoo ignored him and looked at the lane, the ten pins were well aligned and well out of reach. Lucky he was wearing his glasses. He got ready and positioned, trying to find a good angle to play, until he heard Baekhyun say to play at once.

He threw the ball hard and it went straight to the side, hitting a significant total of zero pins.

Baekhyun whistled.

“I said I could help…”

Kyungsoo rolled his eyes, taking another ball.

“Shut up.”

He threw it just to make a mistake again and Baekhyun chuckled in the background.

“Winning from you will be very easy that way,” he whispered as he passed by his side, a ball in his hand and a cheeky grin on his lips. “Are you sure you don’t want any help, Soo?”

“No,” he mumbled.

“Okay then.” Baekhyun went straight, positioning himself and throwing the ball without hesitation.

Kyungsoo’s eyes widened when he saw that the son of a bitch had hit all the pins. An annoying Strike yelled by Baekhyun was heard. All convinced, full of smiles and, of course, bad intentions, Baekhyun came close again and offered help.

Kyungsoo felt obliged to accept.

  
  
  


X

  
  
  
  


So a new routine had been established in Kyungsoo's life. Almost four months after he had met Baekhyun, he already felt much more comfortable around him than he was able to admit out loud, and he was sort of – not entirely – glad to have decided to try.

Baekhyun wasn't as bad as he seemed to be a few months ago, he knew how to be kind and understanding to Kyungsoo when not everything was okay. Baekhyun was really trying and Kyungsoo recognized it, with one smile or two forming on his lips every time Baekhyun invited him to go out.

The meetings on cafeteria, that Baekhyun particularly hated, were forgotten and replaced by walks in the city, they would go bowling, or to movie theater, museum, zoo, amusement park, theater, dance company, aquarium, paintball and a multitude of places that Kyungsoo, in 24 years living there, didn’t know.

Baekhyun proudly called himself a guide and dragged Kyungsoo everywhere he went, even in the crazy raves his former college mates invented; parties filled with drinks, cigarettes, drugs, sex, and all that was not Kyungsoo's way, which he incredibly liked. The two of them even tried to smoke marijuana in one of these and got so stoned that they got close enough to kiss each other.

Their near-kiss seemed a distant memory, but shamefully still made Kyungsoo blush. He was already an adult! He shouldn't be stirred by a kiss that didn't even happen with a jerk like Baekhyun — who happened to be his soul mate, a totally _irrelevant_ detail in the story.

Besides, wasn't he who thought Baekhyun was a jerk, an idiot, a stupid, an imbecile and a few disparaging adjectives? Then why the hell did he feel like kissing him when he got too close, or when he smiled happily, or when he told another of his stupid jokes that he'd learned to like or when he just stood there doing nothing at all?

He didn't know why, he just knew that it was driving him crazy: every time he saw Baekhyun he felt strange things — no butterflies in his stomach, please — and a little pain in his chest insisting that those signs, just maybe, were symptoms of a very crazy thing called love.

He figured it was too fast to be what he _thought_ it was and what Yixing honked in his ears whenever he saw him around, humming until Kyungsoo say:

“Enough!”

“Don't you think you are too old to deny something from your heart?” Yixing put a hand on his chest theatrically.

Kyungsoo was busy cutting some vegetables to the dish he was making, quickly poking and pouring into the pan of boiled water.

“Don't you think you're too old to disturb me?” Kyungsoo replied impatiently. “Why do you always have to talk about it when I'm cooking?”

“Because I don't see you around here anymore…? You're too busy walking around with that Baekhyun guy back and forth in that old car.”

Kyungsoo chuckled.

“Is this jealousy?”

“Don't change the subject,” Yixing said, folding his arms.

Kyungsoo stirred the vegetables with the spoon and boiled them, they had to be soft.

“I'm not changing the subject, I just think it's early to say that...”

“You waited for it during your whole life,” Yixing recalled.

“...I'm in love with him,” Kyungsoo added. “Please, have you looked at him yet? He is a mess, even his appearance… his hair, his clothes, his manner all bold and wild, he has _nothing_ to do with me.”

“And you still like him,” Yixing wasn’t impressed by Kyungsoo's reasons for disliking Byun Baekhyun. “Do you know why, dear?”

“Hm?” he asked defiantly.

“Because he's your soulmate, you're born to each other, so stop denying.”

Kyungsoo cursed under his breath.

“You're unbearable.”

“I'm the light of your life.”

Kyungsoo didn't even respond, turning his back to turn off the fire and taking advantage to curse Yixing without him seeing.

“Fuck.”

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


X

  
  
  
  


Running away from problems never works, especially when you have no problem and think you have it, so you do shit thinking you're doing it right.

Kyungsoo was currently running away from his big problem, Baekhyun. He would walk away from the video store where he worked, ignore his calls and respond once to every ten messages he sent calling him for a meeting at the cafeteria — which was ironic since Baekhyun simply hated it.

However, his escapades only showed how childish and fearful he was when Baekhyun, supposedly the jerk between them, kept trying to make _that_ work, even when thought it was all bullshit. What was he running from? Hadn’t he waited so long for that moment?

The true is that he was scared.

What if it was all his head? What if Baekhyun didn't like him as much as he seemed to like? What if that soulmate thing was really bullshit? There were so many _what if's,_ and he was almost banging his head against the wall. It had been almost three days since he had started getting paranoid.

Early in the fourth day, he received a call from Baekhyun inviting him to watch a movie at his house, which he forced himself to accept after Baekhyun practically begged.

For this reason, he was now sitting on Baekhyun's chipped leather couch, waiting for him to finish taking a shower. Baekhyun could be the only person to invite someone to come to his house and forget that minutes later. When Kyungsoo arrived there, Baekhyun was still all disheveled and wearing those glasses that he only wore when he spent the night playing games. He stank of pizza and drool, but still looked good to Kyungsoo's big eyes, intent on Baekhyun's red, cute lips cursing.

He had been left in the room while the Byun practically ran to the bathroom and shouted to choose the movie he wanted to watch. Kyungsoo shouldn't be surprised, but he still was when he saw the plentiful amount of films on Baekhyun's shelves. It had all kinds, from the most infantile to the most mature. Drama, romance, comedy, horror, action, thriller, adventure, porn — he couldn't help laughing — and several other genres.

It wasn't as if he had never been to Baekhyun's house, but it had seemed that everything had changed since the last time he had been there, _or he had changed himself._

He returned to the couch and crossed his legs, waiting for Baekhyun to arrive so they could watch the movie together. It was so silent that he was startled when the bathroom door was opened and Baekhyun left almost dripping, with a towel wrapped around his neck as his gray shirt dripped through his wet hair. Baekhyun couldn't care less, walking toward the couch and sitting unceremoniously.

“What movie did you choose?” he asked interestedly.

“The Asian Kittens¹,” he said with a laugh.

Baekhyun laughed.

“I didn't know you liked those films, Kyungsoo.”

Kyungsoo rolled his eyes, dropping the dvd.

“I’m serious, what movie did you choose?”

“Titanic,” he hummed in response.

Baekhyun looked incredulous. When he saw that Kyungsoo wasn’t laughing, he asked:

“Holy shit, are you serious?”

“Seriously, I've never stopped to watch,” he answered truthfully.

“Alright then,” Baekhyun grunted. “Let it be Titanic, the most cliché movie in the history of movies.”

Kyungsoo settled on the couch while Baekhyun set the blissful film to spin, throwing him a packet of chips. As the initial credits began, Baekhyun sat down and settled on the couch, in a respectful distance from Kyungsoo.

At the end of the movie, the two were sitting side by side, almost no distance separating the bodies. Kyungsoo with a smile from ear to ear and Baekhyun with tears in his eyes that he insisted on saying that was just dust.

You know, man… Titanic.

“It’s okay to cry, it's a sad story indeed,” Kyungsoo tried to comfort Baekhyun, holding back his laughter.

“But… Jack. Rose, that bitch. It had enough space for the two of them in the boat,” Baekhyun grumbled.

“It was a door,” Kyungsoo corrected.

“Whatever, it doesn’t change the fact that she let him die! And he saved her life,” he replied in a weeping mourn.

Baekhyun wouldn’t accept Jack's death so soon.  
  
Kyungsoo laughed.

“Wasn't it the most cliché movie of the history of movies?” he teased.

Baekhyun rolled his eyes.

“It's a good one.”

Kyungsoo smiled, Baekhyun wouldn't admit he loved it.

“I'll recommend you another clichés after, then,” he said, staring at the way Baekhyun looked beautiful that way, wiping the tears in the corner of his eyes and making a cute pout.

Kyungsoo had that strange habit to face, his big eyes always attentive to small details — especially if they were his present object of affection — and never letting anything escape. Baekhyun looked like the usual mess: his shaggy brown hair now more or less dry, his rumpled gray shirt and worn jeans, his eyes a little red and his expression unsatisfied at the end of the film. Kyungsoo's eyes roamed Baekhyun's face and lingered on his lips, shaking his head and turning his attention to Baekhyun's little eyes.

At that moment, Baekhyun turned his face too, like a movie cliché. The two stared at each other for a few seconds, until Kyungsoo turned his gaze to Baekhyun's thin lips, which he bit almost unconsciously, as Baekhyun practically devoured his with his eyes.

It was official, something was happening between them and it was so palpable that it was pathetic how Kyungsoo tried to deny it. After all, it was obvious that he wanted Baekhyun and Baekhyun wanted him too and they were soulmates. What could possibly go wrong?

 _Nothing,_ at least not when Baekhyun took the initiative to pull Kyungsoo by the waist, cautiously approaching. He seemed ready to take a slap or be reprimanded by Kyungsoo at any time when he decided to take the courage he had been trying to collect since he realized the urge to kiss him bubbled inside, rubbing their noses affectionately before kissing his lips at once. Kyungsoo wanted to cry over the sensation of finally, _finally,_ kissing the one he had dreamed his whole life before he even knew him.

Baekhyun, unlike Kyungsoo's beliefs, was extremely affectionate and patient as he kissed him, sucking his lower lip and putting his tongue into his mouth so softly that he didn’t even look like he was always in a hurry. Baekhyun's fingers caressed Kyungsoo's waist as his lips moved in a soft, warm kiss.

The hairs on the back of Kyungsoo's neck twitched as Baekhyun drew back to breathe and then kissed him harder than ever. Slowly the kisses became more desperate and desirous, stealing all the breath and sanity of both. Baekhyun's hands were content to squeeze and caress Kyungsoo's body over his clothes as Kyungsoo scratched the back of Baekhyun's neck and pulled at his hair to discount the sensation that he would die for his heart beating so fast.

When everything seemed to be too heavy, Kyungsoo pulled away slowly, a thread of saliva still connecting their lips. Baekhyun looked even more handsome, his lips wet and red as his own, his eyes darker than they had ever been, and a look that made the air escape Kyungsoo's lungs.

Baekhyun promptly left off of him and smiled sheepishly.

“Sorry,” he murmured.

“For what?” Kyungsoo asked confused.

“For kissing you… although I'm not really sorry,” he said with a small laugh.

Kyungsoo smiled.

“I’m not sorry either.”

Baekhyun smiled.

Their fingers automatically intertwined when Baekhyun kissed Kyungsoo's forehead, looking happy and satisfied.

Suddenly, Kyungsoo's fears were gone. Everything would be alright.

  
  
  


X

  
  
  


_120193060592._

Staring at the numbers on his arm, Kyungsoo couldn’t even believe where he had come. Eight months later, there he was: dating Byun Baekhyun, the owner of the sequel that he had searched for a lifetime.

Sometimes he didn't believe in his own fate — though he had thought it was bad luck for a long time — because he was so happy that it was odd, Yixing said to enjoy life just a little. He was really happy, the kind that wakes up and sleeps smiling, even when Baekhyun broke some dishes from his kitchen or left a pile of dirty clothes in his apartment.

He was so happy that he didn’t even care — or maybe care a little — to see Baekhyun exchanging words with his friends and posing as his boyfriend, insecure and surprisingly jealous, pushing away anyone who had other intentions with Do Kyungsoo, the owner of the most beautiful pair of eyes in South Korea — Baekhyun's words, not his.

He didn't even care about Yixing and Jongdae whispering, or Chanyeol and Sehun saying _“We told you, we knew it, when the wedding is going to be?”_ and another bullshit.

It was funny how things had changed. A while ago he wouldn't dream of having a guy like Baekhyun by his side, who was probably the worst soulmate history of soulmates, and now all he wanted was for him to create the courage to give him that promise ring that he kept in his underwear drawer and maybe ask him to live together — even if Kyungsoo didn’t even like to share space.

Slowly, but surely, Baekhyun gained a space in Kyungsoo's heart. All his dreams seemed distant now that reality seemed infinitely better, even if Baekhyun was no prince and drove him crazy, and for the first time in his life he was grateful to have both feet flat on the floor.

Baekhyun might have been an asshole who flirted with everything that moved and had an infinite range of double-jointed jokes, but Kyungsoo still thought finding him was the best thing of his life, after all, he was his soulmate and, despite wanting to strangle him half the time, he simply learned to love him.

“Are you thinking of me again?” Baekhyun got close, hugging him from behind and placing a kiss on the back of his head.

Kyungsoo grimaced, trying to contain his smile.

“You're so annoying.”

“But you love me anyway,” Baekhyun hummed, twirling Kyungsoo's body until they were facing each other. “You're missing the party inside, Junhee-noona beat everyone in poker…”

“Even you?” he asked amused. “That's why you are here, right?”

Baekhyun laughed.

“I didn't even try.”

Kyungsoo rolled his eyes.

“What happened then?”

“Nothing.”

“Nothing?”

“Can't I want to be with my boyfriend?”

Kyungsoo frowned.

“Okay, what do you want?”

Baekhyun pouted and approached, tightening his waist and pulling him closer.

“You have so much faith in me that it makes me even touched,” he said wryly.

Kyungsoo shrugged, stealing a kiss from Baekhyun.

“Are you going to say you just wanted to stay here with me?”

"What if it's exactly that?" Baekhyun laughed, running his fingers over Kyungsoo's hips.

Kyungsoo didn't reply, bending to kiss Baekhyun at once. The fit was always so good that Kyungsoo even came to believe that Baekhyun was a kissing master by the way he used his tongue and left him wanting more every time he walked away. They were so wrapped up in kisses that they didn't even notice when the balcony door opened.

“This is my Kyungsoo,” Yixing's voice sounded loud on the small balcony, making them move away suddenly. “A lot of kisses with Mr. Byun.”

A jolly laugh that belonged to Jongin was released.

“Baekhyun hyung can't contain himself.”

"I said they were going to be dating before the end of the year," Jongdae said cheerfully. "When's the wedding going to be?"

Chanyeol and Sehun laughed.

Kyungsoo rolled his eyes, dumbfounded.

“I don't know when it's going to be, but if Kyungsoo wants it I want to,” Baekhyun replied without shame, only causing more excitement among his already excited friends.

Sometimes Kyungsoo really wanted to kill him.

Junhee put her face in the door too, a small smile on her lips as she murmured a "how cute" before inviting them to play poker, which was refused by everyone except Jongin, who didn’t mind losing to his lover.

“Don't think you're going to escape, Kyungsoo.” Yixing came close. “Baekhyun said that if you want it he wants too, you heard?!”

“It looks like someone is getting married,” Jongdae hummed.

Kyungsoo frowned, watching Baekhyun laugh without a brake.

In addition to having the worst soulmate, Kyungsoo also had the worst best friends in the world.

“I hate you,” he said with a smile that said everything, except that he hated those annoying people.

Kyungsoo was very lucky, after all.

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. The asian kittens doesn't exist, but in that story, it's a porn movie that Kyungsoo found on Baekhyun's house lol;  
> 2\. I don't know if you guys got this, but Junhee noona is Junmyeon female version;  
> That's it :')
> 
> The last chapter (or bonus?) is focused on Baekhyun's perspective.  
> See you <3


	3. Endless

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, guys!  
> I took longer than I planned, but I'm here :')  
> I had some problems this week, I got sick and I couldn't finish translating this chapter on time (it must have some horrible mistakes, but I tried my best... I'll fix everything later).  
> I just want to thank everyone that read my story, it was an amazing experience sharing this with y'all and I loved every single comment <3  
> Hope you like this last chapter.  
> Enjoy it :)

 

It had been ten months since Baekhyun and Kyungsoo got together and Baekhyun could hardly believe  _ it _ was real and that Kyungsoo still hadn't broke up with him. They were well and truly happy, which was a true miracle compared to Baekhyun's past and not so happy relationships throughout his life before meeting his soulmate, his Kyungsoo.

It was even funny that he was all insecure and worried that Kyungsoo might decide that he didn’t want him anymore and just let him go, just now that he was attached and hopelessly in love, completely whipped by the other.

Baekhyun was never a very romantic guy, he didn’t even spend much time with the same person without getting sick and breaking up, but after he met Kyungsoo... his life changed meaningfully.

Now it was Baekhyun  who played the pathetic role of incorrigible romantic, who filled Kyungsoo's cell phone with cute messages, who made visits to his work whenever he could and who answered all his requests without hesitation. Baekhyun was chased by Kyungsoo and he was not sorry at all, because Kyungsoo was, by far, the best thing that ever happened to him.

To be honest, before Kyungsoo appeared, Baekhyun's life were just about parties, drinks, girlfriends and boyfriends,  clear dawns with his games and movies and a loneliness he couldn’t shake off even if he tried. There was always something missing, though he denied the idea that this missing thing was his soulmate that was somewhere out there.

His mark had always been prominent, as a reminder that his better half was alive, just waiting to meet him, even if he didn’t move a finger to look for him, preferring comfort and safety rather than deception. He knew people who had spent their entire lives searching and never met their soulmates and his greatest fear, well guarded in his heart, was to be one of them, so he avoided any relation to this  _ bullshit. _

However, the thud was big when Kyungsoo appeared. Of course it wasn’t love at first sight, but from the first moment, Baekhyun felt that he was different and wasn’t wrong at all when he appeared again, revealing that he was his predestined.

Until there, his world definitely turned upside down and gradually started to adjust and spin around Kyungsoo, day by day, with no chance of turning back in a overwhelming passion that made him spent hours and hours thinking about Do Kyungsoo and  all the little things that make him the man of his life.

Kyungsoo was a cute, intelligent, talented, funny guy and  everything anyone looks for in an ideal match, but that wasn’t all, Baekhyun's fascination with Kyungsoo overcame barriers, for he felt something really strong and inexplicable, totally different from what he had felt for his giant list of ex lovers; with Kyungsoo, Baekhyun felt  _ complete. _

At the moment, Baekhyun was laying on the sofa  thinking about life after closing the video store and spending the whole afternoon listening to Jongin talk about Junhee's move to Seoul, about how enthusiastic, happy and anxious he was to get married soon, and several things that he barely paid attention.

_ Marriage. _

That simple word had always made Baekhyun shiver, before of fear because compromise  was never very attractive to his eyes, but now of anxiety because maybe, just maybe, he was considering the idea of marrying Kyungsoo someday, maybe tomorrow. If he wanted, it could be today. To be honest, if it was with Kyungsoo, Baekhyun would go to hell.

But, to be totally honest, Baekhyun  didn’t have the courage to ask yet, because it was too soon, too precipitous, or at least that was what he put in his head every time Kyungsoo came to spend the night at his house and went away the other day, leaving him saddened and a huge urge to ask him to stay just a little bit longer, one more day, one more night, one more week, a month, a year... his whole life  — if Kyungsoo wanted, he wanted too.

It was just silly thoughts about an uncertain future, that he was waiting eagerly just to know that Kyungsoo would be in it.

However,  his daydreams were interrupted by the house lock being unlocked and the door opened by a visibly exhausted Kyungsoo, with his shoulders drooping, eyes tired and his hair disheveled on his forehead.

Baekhyun  sat down on the couch and smiled widely, watching Kyungsoo methodically close the door, hang up his coat and take off his shoes, taking care to leave them neat in the corner.

“Good evening, Soo,” Baekhyun hummed  as Kyungsoo practically crawled to the couch, feet sliding across the floor Baekhyun had cleaned when he knew he was coming, knowing Kyungsoo hated the mess.

“Good evening, Baek,” Kyungsoo murmured in reply, approaching Baekhyun and giving a peck on his lips.

Baekhyun wrapped his arms around Kyungsoo’s waist, hugging him tight.

“How was your day?” he asked curiously,  lifting his face to look at Kyungsoo closely.

“Awful,” Kyungsoo replied  with a sigh, looking back at Baekhyun, digging his fingers into his silky hair. “It all went wrong today.”

Baekhyun frowned,  suddenly worried.

“What happened?”

“Oh, without Yixing, everything is being horrible,”  Kyungsoo complained, pushing Baekhyun to sit on his lap, he was in need of affection, which Baekhyun never refused to give. “My kitchen is a mess, I think I need to hire more people... Luhan is a disaster! I can’t believe Yixing recommended him.”

Baekhyun kept listen patiently, running his fingers through Kyungsoo's hair.

“ Why did he have to take a vacation right now?” Kyungsoo whined. “Luhan burned two dishes, absurd! I'm all alone.”

“You know that Yixing needed to visit his mother…” Baekhyun replied patiently, watching  Kyungsoo's pout grow. “And you're not alone, there's me and Sehun and Chanyeol  _ and _ Luhan, even though he seems useless now,” he said with a giggle.

“I swear  I wanted to stick a knife in his throat when he burned the second dish, my kitchen was infested with smoke,” Kyungsoo murmured, grinding his teeth. “How many years in prison do you think I would get if I killed Luhan _ by accident?” _

Baekhyun laughed, pulling him closer.

“ Enough for me to die of longing and to be compelled to commit a crime of love,”  he snapped back. “Then we would both be sentenced to life imprisonment.”

“What a beautiful story!” Kyungsoo  mocked, turning to look into Baekhyun's eyes, a smile sprouting from his lips. “You really are an idiot.”

“You love me anyway.” Baekhyun blinked,  all bold.

Kyungsoo couldn't help but smile,  leaning over to kiss the corner of Baekhyun's lips.

“I'm exhausted,”  he complained again, making Baekhyun smile. Kyungsoo was very grumpy when tired. “I need a bath urgently.”

“Yes, you do,” Baekhyun didn't miss the opportunity. “You're stinking.”

Kyungsoo pushed his shoulder, protesting when he tried to get up and was stopped by Baekhyun, who didn’t let him out of his lap by giving him a delicious kiss in the mouth, which never failed to leave him all soft and comfortable in his arms.

Kyungsoo always tried to resist, but his hands always found  their way to the back of his boyfriend’s neck as they kissed and Baekhyun caressed his waist with the softness and dexterity of an old lover who knew his body like no one else.

When the kiss was over, Baekhyun finally let him get up for a shower, a silly grin building on his face as he watched Kyungsoo take off his clothes and throw them on the floor, leaving a path through the room before opening the bathroom door and looking at him by the shoulder, naked in all his glory and smirking.

“You’re not coming?”  
  


He didn’t have to call twice, Baekhyun went to him in record time.

  
  


 

X

  
  


 

It turns out that, although Baekhyun and Kyungsoo get along too well, not everything was flowers. Of course, they fought sometimes, like every normal couple, and almost always argued about trivial things  —  even if they made up hours later.

Baekhyun had the incredible ability to drive his boyfriend crazy with his sloppy manner and jealousy that he didn’t know how to control yet. For example, Kyungsoo had been ignoring him exactly 22 hours and 53 minutes since the last message they exchanged.

They had an argument because Kyungsoo cancelled their saturday program to go out with Yifan, a great cook and longtime friend, and Baekhyun didn't like much the idea of being dismissed.  How did Kyungsoo dare to trade his company for another guy? He was outraged, but also missing his boyfriend a lot, even if it hadn’t been a day since they last talked.

He was thinking  of several ways to get to Kyungsoo without having to apologize when Jongin appeared in his field of vision, waving through the glass of the store.

“What kind of face is that?”  Jongin asked Baekhyun as he entered the place with a huge box in his arms, pushing the door with his knees.

Baekhyun did not even bother to look at him, his face resting on his hand and a pouting on his lips as he watched the time pass slower than a sleepy slug. The move in the store was too slow that Saturday, nor did it look like it was already a weekend.

“That face is the only one I have,” he mumbled grumpily.

Jongin moved through the establishment, moving closer and placing the box carefully on the floor, all delicate.

"Sure, you're always an asshole, nothing new under the sun," Jongin replied sarcastically.

Baekhyun let out a muffled chuckle, half unwilling, of the ones you let out when you have nothing better to answer. His mood was bad, it was remarkable. Now, why? Only Kyungsoo could answer, he and that half chinese half canadian that couldn’t even speak English.

As he saw that Baekhyun wouldn’t say anything, Jongin sighed heavily and sat down on the stool facing his best friend, staring at him before opening his mouth and speaking

“Seriously, are you okay, hyung?” He asked worriedly, daring to raise a hand to his friend's forehead to see if he didn’t have a fever. “You don’t look very well today... are you feeling sick?”

Sick? Only if it was lovesick.

“I'm fine, Jongin,” he said, grinding his teeth as he wondered what Kyungsoo must be doing at the moment. Maybe he was at a candlelight dinner with this Wu Yifan guy, talking animatedly, smiling in the way that made his lips take heart shape and- “I'm fine.”

“So what happened to you?” Jongin insisted, evaluating Baekhyun with shrewd eagle eyes.

“ Kyungsoo's on a date,” Baekhyun finally said, as if that answered everything, but since it was Kim Jongin, the guy who was too lazy to think, didn’t answered anything.

“And? What are you still doing here? Shouldn’t you be getting ready to meet him?” Jongin frowned. Poor soul, so young and so dumb, God defend him.

“If he's on a date, obviously it's not with me because I'm here talking to you,” Baekhyun said impatiently. “He dismissed our Saturday program to see a long-time friend, isn't he a douchebag?” Baekhyun asked indignantly, both hands at the waist.

Jongin let out a muffled laugh at the state of his best friend, who wouldn't even care for something like this before and who now was all worried about what Kyungsoo was doing, perhaps out of jealousy or insecurity, maybe both. Honestly, somewhere in his mind Baekhyun was afraid of being let go when Kyungsoo finally realized how good he was and how he deserved someone better, for though they were soulmates, it did not necessarily mean that they were forced to stay together and the perspective of Kyungsoo not loving him anymore always frightened Baekhyun.

“And now, let me guess,” Jongin said with a sarcastic smile, “you guys had an argument.”

“I didn’t argue with him!  _ He  _ argued with me” Baekhyun defended himself, his eyes bulging. “He said that I was being too childish and making an  _ unnecessary show _ , but I doubt he would be okay if I went to dinner with an ex-boyfriend.” 

“They were boyfriends?” Jongin asked, puzzled, because, if he remembered it, Kyungsoo had not even had a boyfriend before Baekhyun for having literally spent his whole life searching for his soulmate, which unfortunately was  _ him _ , an idiot.

“No, but he confessed that he kissed him already,” Baekhyun snorted. “What kind of friends kiss each other?”

“Drunk and needy friends?” Jongin frowned. “Come on, it happens in the best friendships.”

_ “We _ never kissed,” Baekhyun snapped.

“Do you want to kiss me now?” Jongin made a pout, all graceful, laughing when Baekhyun grimaced and pretended to vomit. “We're not friends, we're  _ best friends,  _ and I'm okay without kissing you.” He shook his head at the thought, simply grotesque of course. “Kyungsoo was single at the time, you can not judge... you slept with the whole city yourself.”

“Hey! That's not true,” he protested indignantly. “I’m just…”

“Jealous?” Jongin chuckled softly. “Feeling jealous is normal, but you can’t let it ruin your relationship.”

“I won’t.” 

“Then apologize later, Kyungsoo loves you and literally everyone knows it, even the way he looks at you is super in love, it seems like you’re his sun,” Jongin said,  remembering the time when he had a culinary crush on Kyungsoo and dreamed of being his soulmate. “You are lucky.”

Baekhyun seemed to think. If only he were a little less asshole, he would be more sure of himself, but unfortunately he was born that way and Kyungsoo still accepted him anyway, he really was a lucky motherfucker and should appreciate that.

“You’re right,” he said finally, sighing softly. He should trust Kyungsoo as much as Kyungsoo trusted him.

Jongin hummed happily.

“But what did you bring in the box?” Baekhyun turned his attention to what Jongin had brought and placed on the floor.

Jongin smiled nervously, scratching the back of his neck the way he did when he had done something he shouldn’t. 

“So…” he started.

“What did you do?” 

“ Nothing, hyung,” Jongin replied with a nervous laugh, he only called Baekhyun hyung when he wanted something. “I just brought you and Soo-hyung a gift, you're going to love it.”

Baekhyun narrowed his eyes, all suspicious.

“Gift? The last time you gave me a gift was Christmas 2013 and it was still a turkey thigh bitten.” Baekhyun raised an eyebrow.

“ At least I gave you something! Turkey thighs are delicious.”

“ And what did you bring? Spill,” he pressed impatiently.

Jongin looked at him in agony before bending down to open the box and take what he had brought to Baekhyun as a gift, swallowing hard as he stroked the curly-haired ball's head and murmured “quiet” before showing Baekhyun.

The moment he saw it, Baekhyun's eyes widened in surprise

“It’s all yours, hyung.”

_ No way. _

  
  
  


X

  
  
  
  


“Stay quiet!” Baekhyun asked  as he set the box on the floor to put the key in the lock. He was doing something extremely illegal, looking around carefully.

When he was able to open the door, Baekhyun let out the air he was holding and picked up the box, hurriedly entering the apartment and locking himself inside.He was definitely out of his mind, it could only be that.

Although he denied it at first and said that Jongin was going crazy, he couldn’t say no to his best friend's request to keep the little creatures locked inside the box, putting it on the floor and opening to leave. Baekhyun smiled lovingly when the two little dogs finally came out and rushed toward him, happily licking his hands.

Baekhyun simply loved dogs, but he could never stay with them through the politics of his building, which didn't allow pets. Mongryong, for example, had lived with his mother since he decided to move to his current apartment, which he regretted when she sent pictures of how chubby and healthy his corgi was.

He had no idea what he was going to do with those little furry balls, which ran around the living room floor and already looked like they were home, he would not have the heart to abandon them, and that was more or less what would happen if he hadn’t accepted that gift from Jongin, who was a dog maniac and had already passed his adoption quota with three puppies at home plus Junhee's pet.

Kyungsoo surely would have find it strange, since the only pet he had ever had was a cactus - which was not exactly an animal and was very well, thank you - and he didn’t know if he could count on him to hide the two until he found a place for them to stay because they were still fighting.

Baekhyun sighed heavily, remembering what Jongin had said about apologizing to Kyungsoo at once and deciding to do exactly what his friend advised.

As soon as he got his cell phone to call his boyfriend, the phone started ringing, making him jump scared and staring at the screen, heart pounding frantically in his chest when he saw who was calling.

Soo ♡

What bizarre connection was that, after all?

He swallowed hard before answering, a bit apprehensive about what Kyungsoo had to say, but as soon as he heard his voice, a smile spread unconsciously on his face.

_ “Baekhyun?”  _ Kyungsoo's naturally low voice sounded in his ear like music.

“Kyungsoo,” he  said with a nervous giggle. “I was thinking of calling you right now.”

_ “Hm,  _ _ are you home now?”  _ Kyungsoo went straight to the point.  _ “I'm passing by and I have food.” _

Baekhyun smiled widely.

_ Kyungsoo and his usual old excuses. _

_ “I mean, not that I'm looking for an excuse to see you or something,”  _ Kyungsoo continued.  _ “By the way, I'm still mad at you.” _

Baekhyun laughed lovingly and sighed like a little boy deeply in love.

“ I'm home,” he said at last. “Where else would I go without you?”

Kyungsoo cleared his throat at the other side. Baekhyun was really corny and had the power to make him a little embarrassed

_ “Open the door for me, I’m out here.” _

"That was quick," Baekhyun hummed, already making his way to the doorway of his apartment and glancing up at the little dogs lying on his rug, hoping Kyungsoo would react well.

“Shut up,” Kyungsoo replied as Baekhyun opened the door, a smirk on his face as he hung up the phone and lifted the bag of food. “Is Saturday's program still up?”

Baekhyun nodded, not restrained by his joy at seeing his boyfriend.

“ Of course it is,” he said, and gave him room to enter.

Kyungsoo walked past him, sneaking in and watching everything with his big eyes, handing the bag over to Baekhyun and kind of sniffing that they had _ visit _ . He walked cautiously into the room as Baekhyun closed the door, and his brows furrowed as he saw the two dogs sleeping together, so small that his heart softened.

"What is it, Baekhyun?" He asked cautiously, moving closer to the furry little balls.

Baekhyun scratched the back of his neck and looked away, following him.

“They're poodles toys,” he said graciously.

“I see that, but are these little boys yours?”  Kyungsoo crouched on the floor, being promptly greeted with enthusiastic licks, that made a handsome smile appear on his face.

“They are,” he finally admitted. “And they are girls, actually.”

“And where did you get them?” Kyungsoo questioned, trying to look serious even with small chuckles coming from his lips as he received licks in the face.

“Jongin found the two abandoned,” he snapped, swallowing hard.  Kyungsoo was his mother, by any chance? It seems he had committed a crime.

“Abandoned? Who assures you that he adopt it from someone else again?  Everyone has a dog at home thanks to Jongin.” Kyungsoo chuckled softly.

“I don't know.” Baekhyun shrugged.  "Anyway, I'll keep them, they are already my girls.”

“But you said that in your building you can not have animals…” Kyungsoo recalled.

Baekhyun shifted his focus to the kitchen to leave the food that Kyungsoo had brought on the counter.

“And that’s where you can help me,” he said. “In your building, you can even create an elephant for what you said...”

Kyungsoo paused for a moment without understanding until he get what Baekhyun was suggesting, a little astonished.

“Wait… me? Creating something more alive than a cactus?” he asked incredulously.

“It’s only until I get another place to live,” he whined. “Please, Soo... they have nowhere to stay.”

Kyungsoo stared at the little dogs in his lap, the little black stirring frantically while the gray on was already settling to sleep.  It wasn’t difficult to be convinced, there were very few things that were able to soften Kyungsoo and one of them were puppies, another was Baekhyun sitting next to him and giving him a cute look.

It didn’t take long for him to say "okay," followed by a defeated smile, several licks in his hand and a chaste kiss on his lips.

Baekhyun was even dreaming that he had gotten rid of a conversation, but as soon as they moved away, Kyungsoo pulled his hair with a little force and said: “Don’t even think you escaped the conversation, I'm still mad at you.”

_ He was screwed. _

 

 

X

 

 

 

The days went by simply flying since the last time Kyungsoo and Baekhyun "quarreled" and decided to adopt two dogs together, who were now practically of the head chef because they lived with him and they hardly saw Baekhyun because of Kyungsoo's schedule, who was making a name for himself.

Sabor a D.O  was making a lot of success since Wu Yifan  — or Kris Wu, as he liked to be called  — , a renowned cook, took over the kitchen next to Kyungsoo, while Yixing enjoyed holidays in China.

Luhan took on the role of assistant after burning more dishes in a week than Kyungsoo burned his entire life and Kyungsoo didn’t have the heart to fire him as he had attached himself to him as an apprentice not so promising.

Incredibly, Yifan also became very attached to Luhan, perhaps in a more romantic way than Kyungsoo, but enough for peace to settle in the kitchen even when the fumbling boy let something burn.

Kyungsoo was happy in his professional life and Baekhyun was happy for him, doing everything to make him happy with his personal, loving and sexual life - fortunately the two got on very well in this and all the others too. The only thing that was not working very well in recent times was Baekhyun's incessant search for a new apartment that would accept dogs as he had decided he wanted Mongryong back after being stabbed in the back by Hoochool and Meokmool who preferred Kyungsoo to him, even knowing that the animal itself chose its owner.

In Baekhyun's head, everything would be resolved if he asked to live with Kyungsoo and move to his apartment, with his cactus and the three dogs they would care for together, but what about the courage, where was it when he needed it?

He had talked about it with Jongin and received a sermon for the delay to make the blessed request, it was going to be a year since he and Kyungsoo got together and he was still thinking  _ what if? _ So what if it was early? They would spend the rest of their lives together if it depended on him and he was genuinely eager to start a life together with Kyungsoo, although they continued to wonder about minor differences and discuss here and there.

What he really needed was courage, which he built in the slowness of a 1946 computer, swallowing his words and storing his feelings in his chest every time he saw Kyungsoo walking around the house in a shirt of his and smelling his shampoo on the his hair, his gay, sentimental heart throbbing madly.

However, he intended to make the request some day... maybe today or tomorrow or 365 days from now, but he would do and he hoped that Kyungsoo would accept with a beautiful smile on his face and the promise that they would be together forever, although nothing was eternal besides their souls who would probably find themselves in the next reincarnation.

Baekhyun was sitting in one of the booths at the restaurant, waiting for Kyungsoo to finish the day to go to the cook's apartment because Baekhyun wanted to see his beloved little dogs and spend some time with his boyfriend, preferably watching a cool movie, and iif Kyungsoo wanted to, kissing his mouth and making love.

_ Making love.  _

Since when was it so cheesy? Old Baekhyun would never think of something so sweet, but that actually had a very beautiful meaning behind it, since he didn't fuck with Kyungsoo, but rather connect with him through the shock of their bodies and mouths. Baekhyun bit his lip at the thought, a little anxious to have Kyungsoo all to himself, soon to have his wish fulfilled when his vision was covered by two small but strong and warm hands. 

“ Kyungsoo?” He asked, a little smile taking over his face. “I know it's you.”

He heard a low grunt.

“How do you always know that it's me?” Kyungsoo asked in annoyance, removing his hands.

“ I know you even with closed eyes,” he said presumptuously, pulling Kyungsoo's arm and grabbing a hand before placing an innocent kiss between his knuckles, staring into his eyes with a loving glow.

“I never thought I'd hear the pervert Byun say something cheesy like that.” The little man laughed at the sight of Baekhyun's expression closing on the nickname given to him by Jongdae, that  eventually spread among them all.

“Do you think so of me, Soo? I’m offended.”

“ You were very shameless when we first met, and you know it well,” he defended his point.

“ I was, until I met my soulmate and the most beautiful man in the world.”

“ Most beautiful man in the world? Who is this that I don’t know?” Kyungsoo joked.

“You know it's you,” Baekhyun mumbled.

“Do I?” 

“Stop.” Baekhyun pouted, unhappy.

Actually, Baekhyun was rather shameless before he met Kyungsoo, but only until he realized that he liked him and that he should settle down.

“Let's go home?” Kyungsoo proposed, straightening the collar of the shirt and extending a hand to Baekhyun.

_ Home. _

Baekhyun promptly got up, not wasting time as he took Kyungsoo's hand and laced their fingers, stroking discreetly with his thumb on his skin.

“Let's go.”

  
  
  
  


[...]

  
  
  


As soon as they arrived at Kyungsoo's apartment, they were greeted by Hoochool and Meokmool, who were still as small as they were a month ago, more lively than ever.  Baekhyun didn't restrain his laughter as Kyungsoo crouched and hugged his precious ones, making a weird little voice that is usually only used with children and cute animals.

"You must be hungry, right, babies?"  Kyungsoo asked the two dogs, who jumped enthusiastically.

“They won’t answer, Soo,” Baekhyun said with a muffled laugh, closing the door and bending down a little to caress the head of his boyfriend's daughters, who should be  _ his _ daughters.

Kyungsoo ignored him and picked up Hoochool, hugging her, then laid her down on the floor and hugged Meokmool, talking about the delicious tidbit he had bought at the pet shop earlier, with bits of milk-soaked meat, their favorite.

Baekhyun watched it all with a smile on his face, Kyungsoo looked just lovely like that, talking to his girls and answering himself in a voice that was thinner than normal, getting up to feed them and being followed by both like a kind of dog master.

The best thing Baekhyun did was accept Jongin's unusual gift and give it to Kyungsoo, for he seemed well pleased with his chicks and his cactus and all Baekhyun wanted was to see him happy.

A sense of familiarity filled Baekhyun's chest when he saw Kyungsoo feed the little dogs and giggle like fool, asking him if they were not adorable. He melted even more when Kyungsoo came back from the kitchen and sat on the floor of the room, hitting the space at his side to sit next to him.

Baekhyun didn't take a second to do as he was implicitly asked, sitting next to Kyungsoo and smiling all handsome as he turned to face him.

“How are you?” Kyungsoo asked, looking at him fondly.

“I'm good,” he said cheerfully. “And you?”

“I'm good too,” Kyungsoo stretched his legs out on the floor and threw his head back against the sofa.  “I missed you,” he said as if it were nothing, not looking directly into his eyes.

The smile wouldn't leave Baekhyun's face so soon.

“I missed you too, Soo,” he whispered lovingly.  "You've been very busy lately, we can barely see each other."

“We see each other every day,” Kyungsoo said, turning his head to meet Baekhyun's gaze.

“But it's not the same…” 

Kyungsoo was quiet. He knew it was true, not least because he also missed being able to spend a little more time with Baekhyun.  Even if they saw each other every day, it was only for a few minutes and then they went their own houses because of Kyungsoo's apparent weariness and Baekhyun's fear of disturbing his moment of rest.

Little did Baekhyun knew that Kyungsoo was dying for him to give that ring he was keeping in the underwear drawer for months and ask him to live together soon.

Kyungsoo was never a fan of having a married life, because he was very fond of having his personal space, but Baekhyun had something that made him want to try, and  lately the apartment seemed so empty without his boyfriend walking by it...

“I love you, Baekhyun,” Kyungsoo spoke out of nowhere, like a thought expressed out loud unintentionally.

Baekhyun instantly widened his eyes in surprise.  Of course it wasn't the first time Kyungsoo had said that to him, but it was rare, because the short one was more to show than to say, and he had grown accustomed to it.

However, hearing Kyungsoo's voice saying that he loved him was always so good that his chest warmed even more, his hand reaching for his and intertwining their fingers as if they were meant to be close together.

“I love you too, Kyungsoo,” he replied in all honesty.  “Much more than I thought I could love somebody.”

Kyungsoo stared at his fingers interlaced and smiled at the sight of Baekhyun's right arm, the mark that would be tattooed on his skin  _ forever _ — at least until he died, which he hoped would take a long time to happen.

It was so surreal to think that even after they died they would still be connected in some way and that the love they felt for each other was immeasurable, uncontrollable, eternal in it own way.

Baekhyun followed his gaze and smiled sadly at the thought that he had refused to look for his soulmate for 25 years of his life when he could have been in the same way for some time. He didn't want to spend more years so close to Kyungsoo, but at the same time so far.

_ It was time. _

“Soo,” Baekhyun called uncertainly.

“Hm?” he replied, still amused by his mark.

“There's something I've been wanting to tell you for months,” he confessed, watching Kyungsoo raise his head to pay attention.  “I don’t know what you think about it, and I honestly am terrified to ask and receive a  _ no _ but I really wanted to live with you,” he said finally, determined eyes and steady tone despite the little pain in his stomach.  “I know that our relationship is very recent and I'm a mess, but... I really wanted to see you every day, sleep and wake up from your side, cook and shop together, take care of your girls and my boy, you know... these  _ couple things? _ ”

Kyungsoo nodded, not saying anything to stop Baekhyun's speech.

“It's not a secret to anyone that I'm in love with you and I want to stay with you to the end, so it would be nice if we lived together,” his voice faded, “but only if you want to.”

If Kyungsoo wanted, Baekhyun was wanting too.

Kyungsoo pretended to think a little, straying from Baekhyun's pervasive gaze, and smiled to himself at Baekhyun's defeated sigh before even giving an answer, glad to know that he valued him so much that he wanted to live with him.

It was almost a marriage, right?  It was, but it wasn’t, because the request for marriage was Kyungsoo whom intended to make on the two-year anniversary of their relationship the following year.

“I want to,” he said simply, turning his face and seeing Baekhyun almost tear off his lips with his teeth from biting them.

And Baekhyun was so happy,  _ so happy, _ that he didn't restrain the urge to kiss Kyungsoo with all the strength he had, making him sigh in his mouth with the overwhelming kiss, his hands holding his face as if he wouldn’t let him go,  _ never. _  Kyungsoo smiled through the kiss, eager to correspond, sliding his tongue and making him moan softly through the contact.

Baekhyun's hands weren't restrained as he slid down Kyungsoo's body, tightening his waist and trailing his hips, grabbing his plump thighs and bringing him even closer as he sat him on his lap, a thing that Kyungsoo didn't complain about, accommodating himself on top of Baekhyun, with his lower lip being abused by his boyfriend's teeth.

As they drifted apart, Baekhyun admired Kyungsoo's singular beauty: his eyes half-closed, his cheeks half-red and wet lips, his hair trimmed in a cut that made Baekhyun even crazier for him and the little moles on his neck, down his collarbone — begging to be kissed. 

Surely Baekhyun was a lucky guy.

“Do you want to go to our room?” Kyungsoo asked, his voice so low and a look so affectionate that it made Baekhyun sigh.

_ Our room. How many different deaths in one day!  It was too much for his heart to bear. _

Kyungsoo received his reply with another breathtaking kiss.

The night certainly not end there.

  
  
  


 

X

  
  


 

A life of two was not as easy as Baekhyun had imagined, but it certainly was worth it when shared with Kyungsoo, though they were always arguing for silly things, such as who ate the chocolate that Kyungsoo had ordered, which Baekhyun firmly denied it was him — and he still blamed Mongryong, even if the dog couldn't reach, who would say open the refrigerator — and who practically destroyed Baekhyun's computer — where he played PUBG the whole dawn if Kyungsoo let.

Sometimes they didn’t meet because of the head chef schedule, or disagreed, but they always loved each other at the end of the day: Kyungsoo, Baekhyun and their three puppies, that even slept in their room when they weren’t thinking about doing dirty things.

Of course, the change was a bit abrupt, but so easy to adapt that Kyungsoo didn’t bother about splitting his toothpaste  — though Baekhyun never closed the fucking lid and let it harden a little  — nor make larger portions of food, because Baekhyun was a true hungry dragon.

When Yixing arrived from his trip, Baekhyun had to go through the special interrogation about what were his intentions with Kyungsoo, even though they were already dating for a whole year, and to respond to very compromising things that were necessary for the approval of Kyungsoo’s his best friend  _ and _ father  — with the illustrious help of his husband Jongdae, who only laughed at Baekhyun’s despair.

Life with Kyungsoo was good and Baekhyun was so happy that everything seemed to fit, he no longer felt  _ alone. _

Looking at the other side of the bed, Kyungsoo was quietly asleep, exhaustion draining from his expression as he lived the dream world.

It was early in the morning and Baekhyun was being creepy, watching over Kyungsoo's sleep and running his eyes around his body, especially his hand with the ring that came straight from his underwear drawer and his right arm with the mark that had brought  _ him _ to him.

_ 120193060592 _

A simple sequence of numbers that meant far more than he could describe, as well as his own, which matched Kyungsoo's, proving they were  _ meant _ to be.

_ 060592120193 _

While that mark existed on his arm, Baekhyun would do his best to be a better person and make Kyungsoo very happy, as his soulmate, best friend, partner, boyfriend, fiancé, husband... whatever Kyungsoo wanted him to be, he would to be.

As he thought about it, he didn't even realize that Kyungsoo had woken up until he heard his voice calling to him and smiling so beautifully that he couldn't help but bending over to let a kiss on his lips, totally in love, his hand clutching his to put on his chest.

Baekhyun surely would do his best to make Kyungsoo very happy...

“Your breath stink,”  Kyungsoo grumbled, ruining the romantic moment Baekhyun had created in his mind.

...even when he decided to be so mean.

“I love you too, Soo,” Baekhyun replied, pulling him into a tight embrace,  putting his face on Kyungsoo’s neck and placing a chaste kiss there.

“I know,” Kyungsoo replied, caressing Baekhyun's back on that embrace. “I know.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are some words that I honestly wish it existed in English too, like "saudade" and another brilliant expressions of Brazilian Portuguese, when I translate to another language some things kind of lose the meaning but whatever, it was fun.  
> Thanks for the kudos <3  
> Bye!

**Author's Note:**

> See you next week ♡


End file.
